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One of the occupations free spirits sometimes feel drawn to is travel writing. Some do it for the money, others for the opportunity to travel the world. It allows the authors of travel blogs, guidebooks, and journals to convey to everyone the beauty, the hardships, and the spirit of faraway lands the way they see them.

Travel Blogs

The most modern variant of travel writing comes in the form of travel blogs. Most people who are into travel blogging do it because they love traveling and they want the world to enjoy the sites as well.

That being said, travel blogging can make some profit for digital nomads out there.

One of the most popular travel blogs is The Poor Traveler. The content is made by several bloggers that give their two cents about traveling when you don’t have a lot of money.

Guidebooks

This is somewhat more serious. While travel blogs have a personal feel to them, guidebooks are more matter-of-fact. They are filled with useful advice about the cultural dos and don’ts, along with sites worth visiting and tips on traveling on a budget.

Guidebooks often contain valuable information about monuments and festivals you would not otherwise have access to.

If you want an example of a guide book, consider “National Geographic Guide to the National Parks of the United States”. The title is self-explanatory.

Journals

Journals sometimes overlap with travel blogs. They can contain information about the place you are planning to visit, but, more often than not, journals focus more on personal experiences than on the location itself. Facts are not enough – we need to know how the writer felt in order to fully appreciate the adventure-like journey they have experienced.

A good example of a travel journal is “Last Chance to See”, co-written by Douglas Adams, famous for his book “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. In it, he describes flying in a plane that is ready to crash, sleeping in the hallway of a building and being charged a room, as well as troubles with guides, thirst, heat, and so on, all in an effort to describe species of animals that face extinction.

It is both sobering and charming.

Should You Do It?

Travel writing is a worthwhile enterprise, especially if you can handle the challenges on the way. Like any business venture, it requires a risky investment before it has a chance to make a profit. In other words, like in many other areas of life, success is not guaranteed.

That being said, if you do it for love and/or are truly dedicated to it to the point of being willing to put it on hold until you get proper funding and then start again, you might be a travel writer already.